Rise from the Ashes
by Halcyonette
Summary: Humans aren't governed by reason. They're illogical. They're emotional. They change. So even Courtney couldn't have possibly foresaw the influence that Maxie would have on her life, even as it led towards the formation of Team Magma . . .


**Author's Note: Hi! After finishing Pokemon Omega Ruby, I found Courtney's relationship with Maxie quite mysterious. After all (spoiler alert) she threatens to destroy the world and everyone living on it, just because you made her leader sad. This story will probably imply a lot of Maxie x Courtney (Authorityshipping) but that will be in later chapters.**

**Because of that, the idea for this story was born. I want to portray how Courtney's past eventually led her to become extremely loyal to Maxie (since obviously SOMETHING had to have happened if she's willing to obliterate the world over him). Tabitha and Maxie's past will also be reflected on, but this story mainly centers around Courtney. This will also be a multi-chapter story, unlike some of my other fanfics, which are oneshots/twoshots.**

**Certain elements of this story are canon (ex. Tabitha used to work at Devon) while others are only based on canon (ex. Courtney studying science, but botany specifically) or are headcanon (ex. Courtney grew up with only her father). Therefore, if you have any questions or clarifications about the story, please don't hesitate to PM me. I don't bite, I promise!**

**Lastly, I would like to let you know that this story begins seven years PRIOR to Pokemon ORAS and that neither Team Aqua nor Team Magma exists yet (though the ideals of each team will be referenced). So during this chapter, Tabitha is twenty, since he is twenty-seven during ORAS. Courtney and Shelly are both eighteen, and I will reveal the ages I am using for Maxie and Archie later.**

**And without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Courtney was a diligent girl.<p>

Every day, she would wake up at precisely six in the morning. She did this without fail.

And without even changing out of her fluffy red pajamas or waking up her snoozing mightyena on the floor, she would make a beeline for the crowded desk in her apartment. A small collection of potted plants sat on top of the desk, along with piles upon piles of notes and papers. A lone microscope was perched on the edge of the desk, along with a slightly tattered notebook and a black pen. She would always spend countless hours seated at this desk, pouring through books and scrutinizing every last detail of her plant specimens.

Courtney reached into a drawer, searching for her magnifying glass. When she found it, she raised the lens to her right eye before she began to observe each plant individually. She seized her notebook, and started to scribble her observations into it.

Green stalks rose from an array of colorful pots, and some bore fruit, berries, to be more precise. However, some pots were occupied by fairly young plants. Many had not even sprouted. They were only simple germs. Seeds. Embryos.

She peered into a red glass pot. Her sitrus berry had finally sprouted. The dark green bud peeked out of the dirt, and Courtney could feel a tiny smile forming on her lips.

Sprouted after one month, when watered once every day at noon.

She continued to record her observations.

This is the control, which used no mulch.

She observed her sitrus berry plant for a few more minutes before she glanced towards the adjacent pot.

"Hmm . . .?" Courtney squinted at her nanab berry plant.

The foliage on the plant was a sickly shade of green. When she used her magnifying glass, she could discern a small patch of brown on one of the leaves.

She checked the blue pot for any sort of fracture or indent that would cause the soil to lose moisture or nutrients. The pot was spotless, and looked as new as the day it was bought.

She inspected the soil. It was a very pale, milky brown. When she brushed her pale fingers across the surface of the dirt, it was as rough as a geodude's body.

There was only one logical conclusion.

"How . . . careless of me," Courtney mumbled, as she reached for the wailmer pail on the floor. She mentally berated herself as her face reverted back to its usual, neutral expression. Nanab berries required the upmost diligence in cultivating since they needed constant moisture. Even more moisture was necessary since it was summer in Hoenn, and the air in Rustboro City was often very warm and lacked humidity. Courtney knew that, yet she had somehow forgotten to water her potted plant.

She carefully tilted her wailmer pail so that a steady flow of water soaked into the soil. She kept the pail steady until she saw that the soil was fully hydrated and had become a mound of chocolate-brown mush. Lowering the pail, Courtney sighed to herself. It may have been summer vacation, but that was no excuse for such a forgetful mistake!

Courtney yawned, but she quickly pinched her right cheek. She couldn't just idly slack off. Not until all of her plants' daily activity had been carefully documented (or hastily scribbled) into her notebook, at least. But as she moved on to tend to her persim berry plant, she heard the door behind her creak open. She turned her head towards the source of the noise. A sturdily-built and tall man was in the room with her.

"Ah . . .! Good morning, Father." Courtney was surprised to see her father awake so early in the morning. Often, he didn't leave for work until at least half-past seven, yet here he was, dressed in his work attire. Well, it was only a filthy apron with a plain white shirt, an equally plain pair of black slacks, and a pair of muddy brown boots. The apron certainly made him look less formal, but Courtney thought that his characteristic scent of moist dirt was somewhat comforting. It allowed her to easily distinguish her pleasant father from the austere businessmen that bustled around Rustboro.

"Good morning, Courtney," he responded in a warm voice. Her father approached his daughter, while his violet eyes darted over to Courtney's notebook, which was laid open on her desk. "Are you studying this early in the morning, again? You should relax. You're on summer break from school, after all."

"No, father." Courtney shook her head furiously. "I must . . . keep up with my studies. I'm going to college in autumn."

"Ah, yes. You'll be moving out of our apartment soon." Her father gazed out Courtney's bedroom window, observing the scenery of Rustboro City wistfully. Instinctively, Courtney shifted her gaze to the window as well. Rustboro was a fairly large city, but it paled in comparison to Mauville City. There wasn't as much hubbub or noise during the early morning; there was very little, in fact. Faint lights flickered in the distance, and the sun was just starting to rise, filling the dim apartment room with a warm glow.

The scene was quite tranquil, and her father continued to gaze wistfully ahead.

"You're going to study botany, aren't you? At the Lavaridge University of Science?"

"Yes . . ." Courtney responded, almost inaudibly. Her father knew that she was a quiet and gentle girl by nature, so he didn't try to press her for a longer or more detailed response.

"So it'll be just me and our wee little flower shop," he mused.

"It won't be little . . . for long. I''ll make it into a grand nature center . . . after I graduate."

"Of course you will." Her father smiled sadly, causing Courtney to set her magnifying glass aside and walk towards her father.

"You seem anxious . . ." She noted, a bit concerned about her father's behavior.

"It'll make me sad to see you go, Courtney," he murmured.

" . . . "

"Finally eighteen, huh? It really breaks my heart to know that I won't be able to baby you anymore."

" . . . I'm not a child." Courtney pouted, but she wasn't truly angry. Her father chuckled at her reaction.

"I know. It still makes me sad, though."

"I'll be sad too," Courtney whispered. "I have lots of good memories . . . of Rustboro . . ."

"I'm glad to hear that." Her father turned away from the window and faced Courtney. "If you move out for good and I never see you again, I want to know that the time we spent together made you happy. Especially if you find a more worthwhile career path, which I know you will, and you change your mind about augmenting the flower shop."

" . . .Don't be silly. I can, no, I _will_ visit. Because you're my only family . . ." Courtney placed her hands on her hips. "And the flower shop is _special_. I care about it . . ."

"It makes me happy to know that you feel that way." Her father beamed. "The flower shop is special to me, too."

He averted his attention back to the open window, admiring the sunset. Courtney couldn't help but do the same while also moving closer to her father. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and Courtney felt relaxed as he did so.

Courtney enjoyed small moments like these that she could share with her father. He was a calm and caring man. And although he was considerably taller and towered over her, it wasn't intimidating.

"That sunset probably means that I'll have to go to work soon." He chuckled.

"You have time." Courtney glanced up at her father's face. Some wrinkles were clearly prominent on his cheeks and she could see dark rings under his eyes. " . . . You can rest for a bit. I'll watch the shop."

"That won't be necessary." Immediately after the words left his mouth, Courtney shook her head.

"You work long hours . . . for a florist," Courtney noted.

"I am perfectly capable of sitting at a counter for twelve consecutive hours. I'm not running a triathlon."

"Still," she insisted. "A little rest is good."

Her father remained silent for a few moments. He seemed pensive, and Courtney stayed still under her father's arm so she wouldn't disturb him.

Courtney assumed that he would probably refuse her offer, since his silence seemed to be very prolonged (or it could've just been her anxious expectance for an answer). But she was slightly startled when she felt her father's large hand ruffling her hair affectionately.

"You would do that for your old man? I'm very fortunate to have such a thoughtful daughter!"

" . . . It's not a big deal." Courtney took a sudden interest in her feet, as her father laughed.

"I won't make you work for too long, dear. I promise."

"It's fine, really . . ."

"I'll only rest for a few hours. Alright?"

"Yeah." Courtney detached herself from her father's arm so that she could gather up her study materials before heading out. She peered at her mightyena, who was snuggled up within a cotton blanket that it had subconsciously started chewing in its slumber.

"Can you feed Mightyena . . . when she wakes up?"

"Of course I will." Her father nodded. " . . . Courtney?"

"Hmm?" Courtney paused from stacking her books into neat piles.

"Please be careful on your way to the shop. And . . ." He grinned. "Thank you, dear."

Courtney blinked, but she smiled after a few moments. It was only the slightest tug of her lips, but her father spotted it clearly.

" . . . You're welcome."

* * *

><p>Once Courtney had changed into a modest, sky-blue dress with white sandals, she waved good-bye to her father and left the apartment with a small, white satchel secured around her waist.<p>

A gust of warm air hit her face as soon as Courtney stepped outside, but she didn't mind. She had learned to tolerate the intense heat of Rustboro, especially around this time of year. A quick look at her surroundings told her that the city was starting to wake up. She could hear the slight hum of traffic and people as they began to fill the streets, but it was a minor disturbance. She immediately began to walk towards Route 104 along a road of white bricks.

As she made her way out of her small suburban neighborhood, she strolled down the single dirt path of Route 104, which would lead to the Pretty Petal flower shop. There was a small pond with a bridge composed of smooth logs, which Courtney began to cross casually. As she neared the other side, she heard a feminine voice address her.

"Salutations, Courtney. How are you this fine morning?" The young lady who spoke to Courtney stood at the end of the bridge with a zigzagoon snoozing on the ground beside her. Courtney recognized her light blond hair as well as her green sundress and white, wide-brimmed hat.

"I'm well, Cindy . . ."

"That's good to hear." Cindy smiled politely as she glanced over Courtney's shoulder. "Oh, is Mr. Hepburn not accompanying you? I haven't seen him all morning."

"He's just resting . . ."

"I see." Cindy smiled. "You are quite considerate of your father, Courtney. It's very admirable."

" . . . Thank you."

"Please, don't mention it. I buy quite a bit of berry produce from Mr. Hepburn for dear Zigzagoon here," Cindy scooped her pokemon off of the ground gently, "so he helps me a lot. He is a dear acquaintance of mine."

"I'll . . . tell him you said hello. . ."

"I would appreciate that, Courtney." Cindy beamed, but then she suddenly gasped. "Oh, dear! Speaking of concerns, I do believe a young man was looking for you, earlier."

"Young man . . .?" Courtney raised an eyebrow. Who would be looking for her? Cindy couldn't be talking about her father.

"He had short black hair, and he was quite plump." Cindy furrowed her brow. "My, my, that sounds quite rude when said aloud. I apologize."

"Ah, I think . . . I may know who you're referring to."

"Is that so?" Cindy gestured towards the dirt path. "I remember him saying that he was going to the Pretty Petal flower shop to look for you."

"I should hurry then . . . it was nice seeing you, Cindy."

"I enjoyed seeing you, too. Please, have a good day."

"You, too . . ." Courtney proceeded to walk down the dirt road as Cindy strolled in the opposite direction with her zigzagoon.

The end of the road was easily within sight, and Courtney could make out a stout figure in the distance.

" . . . Tabitha," she called to the young man, who was staring intently at the sealed glass doors of the flower shop. Tabitha's head jolted up at the sound of his name, and he perked up when he spotted Courtney.

"Hyuh? Ah, Courtney!" Tabitha grinned. "I was searching for you!"

"I heard . . ." Courtney raised an eyebrow. "Do you want something . . .?"

"Heh heh! I sure do!" He thrust his chin up proudly. "Have I got news for you!"

"Oh?" Courtney cocked her head to one side. "Tabitha, I've known you for ten years now . . . Are you just going to boast about a new invention . . .again . . .?" Tabitha's jaw dropped.

"Hey! I'm not _that_ annoying about it, am I?!"

" . . . Sometimes."

"That's what you have to say about the guy who fixed your microscope last summer? You know, when you accidentally dropped it into that pond in Petalburg Woods?!"

"I could've bought a new one . . ."

"It doesn't change the fact that I fixed it for you!" Tabitha playfully nudged Courtney. "Geez! You're such a stick in the mud, sometimes." He laughed while Courtney sighed.

"You haven't changed a bit . . . since Trainer School . . ."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Maybe."

"Well, you haven't changed either, missy." Tabitha smirked.

"So, what did you want to tell me . . .?"

"Out here isn't really the ideal spot." Tabitha fidgeted with his black T-shirt. "I think I'm going to collapse from a heat stroke if I stand out here any longer. Why don't we go inside the shop, and I'll tell you the news, there!"

"Okay." Courtney rummaged through her purse and pulled out a bronze key. She inserted it into a small keyhole on the door as Tabitha waited patiently. She turned the metal object clockwise. "Let's go."

"Sure thing, Courtney!" Tabitha eagerly followed Courtney as she pushed open the glass doors and disappeared into the flower shop.

* * *

><p>Courtney flipped over the "CLOSED" sign on the entrance door so that it read "OPEN" from the outside. As she did so, she looked at the wall clock that dangled precariously from a rusty nail.<p>

Seven fifty-five in the morning. Five minutes early. Almost opening time.

Time to get to work.

"Tabitha, if you want to talk, say it now . . . I'll be busy . . ." Tabitha's ears perked up, and he lifted his head from a bouquet that he was sniffing.

"Won't your father be here?"

"Not yet."

"Well, if you'll be managing the shop by yourself, let me give you a hand," he stated confidently.

"No, that's okay . . ."

"Nonsense! I shall lend you my assistance!"

"I can do it by myself . . ."

"We'll finish the job faster if we cooperate."

"But-"

"I insist! And we can chat as we work!" Tabitha slapped his chest, and Courtney knew that he wouldn't budge or change his mind. Tabitha always had the natural tendency to want to help as much as he could. It wasn't an unpleasant trait . . . but he could be demanding about it.

"Fine," Courtney conceded. "Water those plants in aisle B . . ." Courtney grabbed a wailmer pail from a cardboard box by the entrance, and she handed it to Tabitha. He seized the pail from her hand and immediately began to water the nearby plants.

"These smell heavenly!" Tabitha inhales through his nose deeply. "They look like mini-pinecones!"

"You're watering the petaya berries. . . far too much . . ." Tabitha instantly pulled the wailmer pail away as water droplets trickled down the sides of the pot. "They retain moisture well . . . so they don't need as much water."

"I didn't know that!" Tabitha complained.

" . . . You're an engineering major . . . not a botany student . . ."

"It shouldn't be this hard to garden! My mom does it all the time!"

"Too bad," Courtney responded, slightly amused by Tabitha's frustration.

"Courtney!" Tabitha groaned. "Never mind! I should tell you the news now!"

"What is it . . .?"

"You know that prosperous company in Rustboro? The Devon Corporation?"

" . . .Yeah?"

"After five failed attempts, Devon _finally_ accepted my job application!"

"Isn't it just for part-time job training . . . since you haven't graduated yet?"

"Damn it, Courtney! Stop stealing my thunder! I'll have you know that I, Tabitha, will be the graduating valedictorian of the Rustboro Institute of Technology in two years!" Tabitha announced.

"I'm just saying." Courtney carefully measured out a pint-sized cup of growth mulch, which she patted gently and evenly across the surface of a pot of soil. "Besides, Shelly also got accepted for internship at Devon. . ."

"Of course she did." Tabitha sighed. "I was going to rub it in her face! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"She came to the shop yesterday . . . She told me then." Courtney studied Tabitha's pensive facial expression. "Something wrong . . .?"

"Hmph. It took me two years to get accepted, and Shelly got accepted as soon as she turned eighteen." Tabitha shrugged. "Oh, well. It just means that I have more knowledge under my belt."

"Shelly's our friend."

"I know that." Tabitha smirked. "That doesn't mean I'll allow her to outdo me, though!"

"I'm sure she . . . would say the same about you."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she did." Tabitha frowned. "If there's anything I've learned from the past six years, it's that she can be more headstrong than a charizard."

"Yeah . . . she can be."

"Anyway, can you imagine the look on my dad's face? He'll be so pleased when he hears about my internship! Especially since he was so sour about my former attempts!"

"That's great, Tabitha."

"Heh heh!"

Courtney and Tabitha spent the next few hours doing a variety of tasks and chores in the shop. It wasn't very busy that morning, so they only concerned themselves with cleaning and organizing the shop.

Whenever he could, Tabitha eagerly sniffed the nearby flowers' aromas, until he came across a pot of purple titan arums. Courtney was slightly amused by Tabitha's cry of disgust, to which she calmly noted that it was known as the 'corpse flower', hence the foul smell. After he recovered from the putrid odor, Tabitha decided to start sweeping the floors, while Courtney organized each plant into aisles by color. Razz berries went with cheri berries, pinap berries went with shuca berries, chesto berries went with belue berries, and so on . . .

They finished their tasks after a few hours, so Courtney and Tabitha seated themselves behind the cash register as they waited for some customers to arrive.

Even when an hour had passed, there wasn't a single customer.

" . . . Business is slow."

"You want to eat something to pass the time?" Tabitha reached into his pocket and pulled out a crushed bag of brown cookies. "I brought two bags!" He pulled another bag out of his other pocket.

"I'm fine."

"Suit yourself! They're lava cookies!" Tabitha proceeded to munch on the cookies loudly, causing Courtney to eye the cookies with envy.

Her stomach gurgled.

"Maybe . . . I'd like one."

"I knew you wouldn't be able to resist this glorious temptation!" Tabitha slapped Courtney on the back, causing her to gasp and take a sharp intake of breath.

"Never . . . ever . . . do that . . ." Courtney choked out weakly. Sometimes, Tabitha's energy and enthusiasm was a bit too much for her. She was pretty sure their intellectual capacity was the only trait they had in common.

"Oh, sorry about that." Tabitha scratched the back of his head. "Here you go." He offered a lava cookie to Courtney. She accepted the cookie with a grateful nod before she brought the treat to her mouth and began to nibble on it. As Tabitha devoured his cookies and Courtney finished hers, she glanced at the wall clock.

Noon. Father might be here soon.

Courtney visibly perked up as she heard the door swing open, as signaled by a ring of chimes hanging over the door. She turned her attention towards the entrance immediately to see who had entered the shop.

There was indeed a man.

But he was not her father.

Trying to mask her disappointment, Courtney forced herself to utter a half-hearted greeting, "Welcome."

The man didn't reply, but he glanced up from his black wristwatch. It was then that Courtney noticed something on the man's face.

His glasses. They were practically like mini-goggles, except that the hinges had long extensions that stretch down the edges of his cheeks. A gaudy stone also glinted off of the right side of his glasses, clashing with the man's (literal) red hair.

Courtney didn't find any other features of this man noteworthy as he approached the front counter. A simple white lab coat, red tie, black pants, brown loafers; nothing unusual.

"Good afternoon," the man finally greeted her. His voice sounded very professional as if he was delivering a presidential speech, and his facial expression was serious and composed. "I wish to acquire a bouquet of myosotis sylvatica." Tabitha looked baffled at the scientific plant name, but Courtney was unfazed.

"Forget-me-nots . . .? Of course." She motioned towards the aisles behind the man. " Aisle E . . ."

"You have a plethora of perennial plants," he noted as he turned away from Courtney to observe the aisle she had pointed to. "Interesting."

There was an uncomfortable silence as the red-haired man surveyed the bouquets of forget-me-nots. Dainty blossoms peeked out of cones of white tissue paper as he examined each one carefully. Courtney tried to read his facial expression, but his face was a stony mask. After a few minutes of observing, he settled for a bouquet of pale-blue forget-me-nots.

"Are you finished?" Tabitha broke the silence.

"Yes." The man walked back and placed the bouquet onto the counter.

" . . . Do you want a card?" Courtney asked him.

"Pardon?" He frowned. "A card?"

"Is it a gift . . .? A card gives it sentimental value . . ." The customer raised an eyebrow.

"Technically speaking, it is a gift." He pushed up his glasses. "It is not meant to be sentimental, though."

"But aren't gifts supposed to be affectionate-" Courtney jabbed Tabitha in the stomach. He hissed in pain, but the man didn't even blink.

"Okay . . . no card then." Courtney punched a few keys on the cash register. "The total is . . . ten pokedollars." The man fished through his coat pocket. He found a small stack of coins, which he laid out on the counter.

"That should be exact," he informed Courtney. She nodded and gathered the coins into her right palm before dumping them into the cash register's slots. When she looked back at the man, he appeared to be staring intently at a plaque on the wall.

"Quite the elaborate plaque you have there."

"Um, thanks . . .?"

"'Spreading flowers throughout the world'," he read aloud. "An intriguing slogan."

" . . . Is something wrong with it?" Courtney spoke warily. Her father had placed the plaque up on the wall several years ago, when he had first bought the flower shop and she was but eight years old. It gleamed, despite being a decade old, since her father polished it regularly. In fact, it was more pristine than a holy chapel.

The corner of Courtney's mouth twitched as the man's sharp, gray eyes directed their attention onto her. From behind his large glasses, his gaze was so intense that Courtney felt like a helpless paramecium under the 400x lens of a microscope.

Talk about unsettling.

"There's nothing particularly _wrong_ with it," the man replied. "It seems meaningful."

"It is," Courtney said bluntly. She tugged at her sleeve, refusing to meet his eyes with her own.

"Flowers are restful to look at. They have neither emotions nor conflict." The man paused. "Sigmund Freud once said that."

" . . . Oh?"

"Even though they are also organisms just like humans and pokemon, flowers don't cause unnecessary disturbances to civilization. They naturally produce oxygen for our respiration and they also bring innocent joy to many individuals. And they simply continue to flourish until they eventually wither away peacefully." The man's eyes met Courtney's eyes. "It would certainly be wonderful if the world had more flowers."

" . . . "

"I assume that you are quite fond of them?"

"I am." Courtney admitted, not seeing any harm in a little chit-chat. " . . . Are you?"

"They are pleasing to look at." The man stated, almost matter-of-factly.

"I think flowers smell good." Tabitha chimed in.

"They possess a distinctive aroma." Courtney wasn't sure if the man was reading out of a textbook or trying to express his agreement. This man had a noticeably stiff and formal way of speech. Courtney was used to seeing bubbly young girls and women at the flower shop.

Was he a local? He probably wasn't. Courtney was pretty sure that if she ever saw him before, he would stick out like a sore thumb and she would definitely recall it. Such a matter felt a bit too personal though. Courtney decided that it was none of her business where this man was from.

"Gracidea flowers smell nice." She added.

"Is that so? They're a species of autotrophs native to Sinnoh, so I have never witnessed one in the flesh."

"I've only seen one once. It . . . smelled like vanilla."

"Huh . . ." Tabitha rested his chin onto a balled fist. "Now I want to see a real one! I wish Hoenn had them."

"It's a shame then. Gracidea flowers need an abundance of space to even sprout. A majority of Hoenn is covered with marine habitats."

The man's gaze towards Courtney and Tabitha seemed to intensify as he spoke the next sentence.

"And no flower can thrive on top of the sea."

" . . . Ah." Courtney wasn't sure how to reply to the man's last statement. For a split second, she thought she saw a sorrowful expression form on his face, but it was gone when she blinked. She must have imagined it.

She wasn't sure why, but she also could've sworn that the man spat out the word "sea" with a hint of disdain. Her perceptions were probably false, though. She hardly knew this person.

Meanwhile, he didn't seem to mind Courtney's lack of a response. In fact, he checked his watch again with a bored look on his face as if he believed the conversation was over. Tabitha seemed to think so too, because he was indulging himself with the few lava cookies he had left.

"My, my. I'm afraid I've wasted a bit too much time here. I have important matters to attend to." He took his bouquet from the counter and headed towards the exit. "Thank you for the business."

Courtney didn't say anything as the man exited.

"That guy was a bit odd," Tabitha remarked, as he started to chomp on some more lava cookies. "He seemed so uptight."

"Yeah . . ." He certainly stood out from the regular customers.

A few moments of quiet stillness passed between Courtney and Tabitha.

"So," Tabitha quickly interrupted the awkward silence. "My mom got some rage candy bars from Johto last week. Want some?" He revealed the colorfully wrapped candies from his pockets.

Courtney allowed herself a small giggle of amusement from his random offer.

" . . . Why not?"

Courtney plucked the candy bar from Tabitha's palm as he grinned and ripped open his own rage candy bar.

_Crunch! Crunch!_

Smooth milk chocolate with a caramel filling, and a hint of nougat and peanut butter. A delightful and harmonious combination. Tabitha raised an eyebrow as he watched Courtney devour the treat.

Half of her chocolate was already gone and not even a minute had passed.

"You ate that faster than a starved munchlax," Tabitha commented.

"I'm . . . Just . . . Hungry . . ." Courtney spoke between bites of candy.

"You're grinning like a child."

"No, I'm not . . ."

"Yes, you are."

"You're wrong."

"I think I hear some denial!"

She rolled her eyes as he chuckled. Both of them finished their rage candy bars with amused smirks on their faces, diminishing the tense atmosphere from earlier.

There was no need to think about that man, Courtney decided, as Tabitha helped himself to another rage candy bar.

After all, it was highly unlikely that she would see him again.


End file.
